Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell fully understands that in order to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, his team will have to contain the 49ers’ ground attack.
When asked about San Francisco’s prolific rushing offense this week, Campbell said that stopping it will be a priority.
“Stop the run. Still the run,” Campbell said, via John Maakaron of All Lions. “You got to stop the run, because if you don’t, they’ll rush for 250 on you and then they won’t even worry about passing.”
The Niners’ running game, spearheaded by All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, ranked third in the NFL this season, averaging 140.5 rushing yards per game.
“Everything has to start there,” continued Campbell. “And yes, that’s what [49ers head coach Kyle] Shanahan does an unbelievable job of — he’s going to work one side and make you overreact. And then he counters off of it and then play passes off of it and it works the middle of the field. So, you got your hands full in both regards, you know?”
Fortunately for Campbell, his Lions club ranked second in the league in stopping the run during the regular season, surrendering just 88.8 rushing yards per game.
So, something has to give on Sunday.
Still, there is no question that Detroit will have quite the task on hand in trying to hold McCaffrey, who led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards to go along with 14 touchdowns this year. He also averaged a robust 5.4 yards per carry. In San Francisco’s Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers, McCaffrey carried the ball 17 times for 98 yards and a couple of scores.
McCaffrey had been dealing with a calf issue, but he looked completely healthy against the Packers, so he should be ready to go against the Lions with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line this Sunday.
Dan Campbell is aiming to lead Detroit to its first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history..
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